HSK Exam Guide HSK 3: test structure, pass mark and word count
HSK 3 is Level 3 of the HSK Chinese proficiency test. The level page says the test has 80 questions in listening, reading and writing. It gives about 90 minutes for the whole exam, including 5 minutes for filling in personal information. The full score is 300, and a cumulative score of 180 or above is a passing mark.
Who the level is for
The level page describes HSK 3 as a level for beginners who have a broader command of Chinese. It names listening, reading and basic writing as the skills the level covers.
Test length, skills and start time
The summary sentence on the level page gives 80 questions. It says the whole exam takes about 90 minutes, and that this includes 5 minutes for candidates to fill in personal information. The page also prints a test start time of 13:30, in all local times.
Scores, pass mark and validity
The score report gives four scores:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Total
The level page gives these figures for the scores:
- Full score: 300 points.
- Pass mark: a cumulative score of 180 or above.
- Validity: two years, counted from the day of the exam.
Vocabulary: two figures from two documents
The level page gives one vocabulary figure: a comprehensive vocabulary of 600 Chinese words. The HSK 3.0 syllabus is a separate document. It is in Chinese. Its cover prints "2025-11 发布 2026-07 实施", which means issued in November 2025 and in force from July 2026. The syllabus prints no totals for words or characters. The counts below come from this site's own count of the serial numbers in its lists.
| Source | Level 3 figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Level page (chinesetest.cn) | 600 Chinese words | Printed on the page |
| Syllabus, vocabulary list | 500 new words, 1,000 cumulative | Our count from serial numbers 501–1000 |
| Syllabus, 认读字 (recognition characters) list | 284 characters | Our count; list numbered from 1 |
| Syllabus, 书写字 (writing characters) list | 150 characters | Our count; list numbered from 1 |
The two documents give different figures. The vocabulary sentence on the level page does not explain how its 600 words relate to the syllabus lists. This article does not say which figure applies to a given test date. The word and character lists themselves are not reproduced here. The syllabus PDF contains them.
Sources
- HSK (Level 3). Chinese Testing International (CTI), Chinese Tests Service Website chinesetest.cn
- HSK 考试大纲 / Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test (PDF). Center for Language Education and Cooperation (中外语言交流合作中心)
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary; it is not published by Chinese Testing International, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation or the Ministry of Education, and the official page prevails if they differ.